A Slice of Another Time and Place--Allred Lake
It is said some of the bald cypress trees at Allred Lake date to pre-Columbian times, (500 years ago) with their unique knees, which extend above the water, sometimes to a height of six feet, giving the lake a timeless quality. Cypress trees will grow in dry areas, but will lack the "knees" of the ones growing in water or muck. Cypress trees have been around for eons, emerging before there were hardwood trees and wildflowers, leaving fossil marks in rocks throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
These days, Allred Lake is a living museum. A benchmark that takes visitors to another time and place. Although the Carolina parakeets and passenger pigeons will never return, many other creatures, from otters and beavers to butterflies, to turtles and snakes and many amphibians still live their lives here, assuming their normal roles in the swamp food chain.
Speaking of food chain, I was a bit worried about mosquitoes, as we walked out on the boardwalk that allows visitors an easy access to view the lake and swamp, but fortunately, we must have chosen a perfect time, for not a single, hungry mosquito was around to detract from the beauty before us.
As we left Allred Lake, and were once again driving through the vast flatlands covered in crops, I couldn't help but feel sad about all that had been lost. And as we got back into the forested hill country that I love, I fervently hoped that the Ozarks wouldn't one day also be just a "slice" of another time and place.
"Missouri is a land of beauty now, but in a state of nature before touched, and too often defaced by the work of man, Missouri was a terrestrial paradise." Louis Houck, 1908
All pictures copyright of Renie Burghardt
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Cypress Trees
Further Info from the Department of Conservation:
Allred Lake Natural Area
A 76-acre area located 15 miles south of Poplar Bluff and six miles southeast of Neelyville, accessible by a county road off Hwy H. The area is in the SE1/4 of Section 28, T22N, R6E, Vastus 7.5 min. topographic map. Designated February 25, 1982.
Allred Lake Natural Area is part of a 160-acre tract that is owned by the Department of Conservation. It is a wildlife refuge and is closed to hunting and fishing. Trapping is allowed by special permit. Non-motorized boats are permitted on Allred Lake for day use only. Boats must be carried about
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